Tag Archives: Netflix

Disney this week announced the name of its new streaming service, said to be a direct competitor to Netflix.

I’ve been listening to The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding via Audible. Great read…or listen.

A section that really caught my attention was on naming a company, particularly when entering a new category.

According to the 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, if Disney wanted to compete with Netflix, it should have gone with a completely new name.

Instead, they went with Disney+ (Disney Plus).

This was a mistep for a couple reasons. For one, the Disney brand means a lot more to people than movies, so having a Disney Plus doesn’t really signify what the product is.

And secondly, Plus is common word, one used in recent startups like Google Plus (shut down in 2018); as well as Nike Plus; and most notably with Hulu Plus (which Hulu later dropped), another streaming service, owned by none other than The Walt Disney Company, along with 21st Century Fox (acquired by Disney), Comcast and AT&T.

It’s the story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. It’s the return of the award-winning “Arrested Development,” starring Emmy nominee Jason Bateman and one of the funniest ensembles in TV comedy, who taught viewers the meaning of “never nude,” spread a dangerous amount of misinformation about maritime law, and reminded everyone “that’s why you always leave a note.”

9.2 / 10

Orange is the New Black (Netflix Original) New: Season 2

From the creator of “Weeds” comes a heartbreaking and hilarious new series set in a women’s prison. Piper Chapman’s wild past comes back to haunt her, resulting in her arrest and detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper trades her comfortable New York life for an orange prison jumpsuit and finds unexpected conflict and camaraderie amidst an eccentric group of inmates.

8.6 / 10

House of Cards (Netflix Original)

Three Emmy Award wins including David Fincher (“The Social Network”) for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and nine nominations including Outstanding Drama Series went to this acclaimed political thriller. Lead Actor nominee Kevin Spacey stars as ruthless, cunning Congressman Francis Underwood, who will stop at nothing to conquer the halls of power in Washington D.C. His secret weapon: his gorgeous, ambitious, and equally conniving wife Claire (Lead Actress nominee Robin Wright).

8.9 / 10

Lilyhammer (Netflix Original)

After turning state’s evidence against a powerful Mafia boss, former gangster Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano trades the mean streets of New York for the icy fjords of Norway, forging a new life among the locals of Lillehammer under the guise of Norwegian-American immigrant Giovanni Henriksen. The relative calm suits him at first. But it’s not long before Frank’s ruthless methods resurface, stirring the suspicions of his next-door neighbor, the chief of police.

8.0 / 10

Breaking Bad

Emmy winner Bryan Cranston stars as Walter White, a high school science teacher who learns that he has terminal lung cancer and teams with a former student to manufacture and sell high-quality crystal meth to secure his family’s future.

9.5 / 10

Prison Break

When his brother, Lincoln, is wrongly convicted of murdering a powerful politician’s brother, structural engineer Michael Scofield resolves to bust his innocent sibling out of the notorious Fox River State Penitentiary.

8.6 /10

Mad Men

Set in 1960s New York, this series takes a peek inside an ad agency in an era when the cutthroat business had a glamorous lure. When the cigarette smoke clears and the martinis are set down, at the center of it all is womanizing ad man Don Draper.

8.7 / 10

Lie to Me

Loosely inspired by the career of psychologist Paul Ekman, this engaging crime drama focuses on the work of Dr. Cal Lightman, whose knowledge of human facial and behavioral cues lets him determine whether a person is telling the truth.

8.0 / 10

Nip/Tuck

A little shady deal here, a little ethical entanglement there — it’s a way of life for Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, Miami doctors who own an exclusive plastic surgery clinic that generates as much trouble as it does cash.

7.7 / 10

Dexter

By day, mild-mannered Dexter is a blood-splatter analyst for the Miami police. But at night, he is a serial killer who only targets other murderers.

9.1 / 10

The Following

When escaped serial killer Joe Carroll goes on a new killing spree, reclusive former FBI agent Ryan Hardy is called in, having captured Carroll nine years ago. Hardy soon discovers that Carroll has a loyal following of killers ready to terrorize.

7.7 / 10

BONUS:

Freaks and Geeks

A group of high school students in 1980 faces various social struggles. Lindsay Weir rebels and begins hanging out with a crowd of burnouts, courtesy of an invitation from Daniel Desario.

9.0 / 10

Have anything you’d change or add to the list? Add it in the comments.

5 Tech Predictions for 2014

Welcome to the third-annual 5 Tech Predictions, where I analyze trends from the previous year (compiled on http://twitter.com/ericzimmett) and predict what will take shape within the next year. Centered around social media, streaming TV and technology.

5. Amazon Prime becomes No. 2 streaming service behind Netflix

Amazon, already a force in the UK with LoveFilm, will make some noise with Amazon Prime and look to challenge Netflix.

YouTube’s king for shortform video, Netflix for longform TV and Movies. But Amazon stakes claim at No. 2 in 2014 behind Netflix.

4. Original Programming Unloads

Netflix credits original programming for its big gain in 2013. Netflix, Amazon, and other players unload on original programming in 2014.

Original programming puts Netflix on a similar level as HBO. In fact, Netflix is becoming more and more like the HBO of the cable-cutting generation. We’re already seeing original programming from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, YouTube and more. Watch for it to continue in a big way in 2014.

3. Online Recommendation Engines

From Netflix to Foursquare, recommendations will reign in 2014.

Netflix has built its dashboard on recommendations; Foursquare is changing its focus to a recommendation search engine; Redbox is sending movie recommendations via email; and dozens of others will follow.

We’re submitting mounds of data online through clicks, purchases, and check-ins. All of that data finally pays off in 2014 by providing excellent recommendations. Watch for all of our online services to start recommending content, including advertising.

2. Mobile surpasses desktop

YouTube mobile use is currently at 40%, up from 25% the previous year. Social network use is already at more than 50 percent mobile. In 2014, the rest of the web will catch up.

Nearly 200 million Facebook users are mobile only, and mobile accounts for 30 percent of Facebook’s revenue. Apps like Instagram and Snapchat are built for mobile. From browsing to socializing, streaming and shopping, mobile is where it’s at in 2014 as it overtakes desktop usage.

1. HBO introduces standalone streaming service

Netflix has now surpassed HBO with the most subscribers, at 40 million, though HBO’s revenue is still above the streaming leader.

The peer pressure finally gets to HBO as it releases a standalone streaming service, likely late in 2014.

Though, like cable, it’s higher priced than most want to pay. In the $25 per month range. Showtime is another contender for standalone premium cable.

Both have cable-invested backers in Time Warner (HBO) and CBS (Showtime), which will delay a standalone subscription model, but watch for either one to roll out this option in 2014.

5.Second Screen takes off – The second screen takes on the big screen.

The second screen is taking over. Users are splitting their time between the main screen and a second screen – companion devices and apps. For live shows, users turn to Twitter. For movies and streaming content, users stick to GetGlue to check-in and provide live commentary. (If you’re into streaming video like Netflix and Hulu Plus, you’ll want to check out GetGlue.) In November, GetGlue was acquired by TV-loyalty service Viggle for $25 million in cash and 48 million shares.AirPlay-like devices also allow users to stream media from a tablet or smartphone wirelessly to a television set. It opens up content from apps or the web and makes it playable on a user’s TV. Apple AirPlay on Apple TV is one of the first and best. More are on the way in 2013.

4.Facebook loses market share– due in large part to audience fragmentation.Facebook has an enormous lead when it comes to audience share among social networks because it’s always one step ahead of the competition. The same changes that infuriate some users are the ones that keep others wanting more. MySpace lost users because it was stagnant. Facebook doesn’t want to suffer the same fate.

But users will begin to explore other options in 2013, including LinkedIn, Google+, Foursquare, Path and others, all of which have adopted the “Newsfeed” layout. Users will spend more time on these sites, which means less time spent on Facebook. Foursquare, for example, has de-emphasized its leaderboard and put more focus on the newsfeed and its “Explore” feature.

3.Mobile Payments become mainstream – Square launched in 7,000 Starbucks coffee houses in November of 2012. Today, Square is processing $10 billion in annual mobile payments. In 2013 mobile payments will become mainstream.

2.Free city-wide Internet – Public Wi-Fi gets closer to the streets in 2013. Already available at many restaurants and stores, more hotspots are on the way.

But more than just hotspots: Google has been working on a city-wide Wi-Fi network for some time, with the first attempt around 2007. It’s Google Fiber project seems to have taken the spotlight, as the company rolled out the high-speed broadband network in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2012.

I feel like now is the time to break some ground on city-wide Wi-Fi.

The Tel Aviv municipality announced in December of 2012 that it would be deploying a city-wide Wi-Fi network in Israel, headed by Motorola Solutions, that includes 80 relay stations for free wireless access. Watch for a similar service to hit the United States in 2013.

1. Big Netflix Competitor– I predicted it for 2012. Redbox Instant by Verizon launched in Beta in December of 2012. Could it be the Next Netflix? Others are rumored to be teaming up for a service. Amazon Instant Video is gaining steam, though is part of a much larger plan for Amazon. It will take a lot of financial backing which is why we’ll likely see businesses teaming up on this one. Hulu is handcuffed by its owners (Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Disney and News Corp.).

Whether it’s Redbox and Verizon, Amazon or another new service, watch for it to take off in 2013.